Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Raeza/J.A.: Fog Rolls In/Water Under the Bridge

     Her escape to the other corridor appeared to go unnoticed, thanks to Avalyn running into the wall with a loud and dramatic thump. She continued on quickly, dragging along J.A., who had probably absorbed most of the impact. Raeza winced slightly at the thought. She still couldn't see how someone could do that, accept others' pain with her own, and act as if it was nothing. Raeza wasn't sure whether to pity or admire that.
     It didn't take her long to find the mechanism and figure out how it worked. Now to trigger it... She'd planned on pressing a key on her computer to trigger it, so there had to be a receiver for the signal. That was a place to start, anyway. Or if she could broadcast the signal again somehow... Raeza whipped out a phone and typed quickly, hacking into Mevolent's computer systems in a matter of seconds. Pity he didn't keep much there. The small red button in the corner of the touch screen would do it, she hoped. All she could do was wait and see.

*******

     Avalyn led them around several corners and opened a door. "Staircase," she explained when she saw J.A.'s questioning look. "I'm hoping to lose them on our way back so we can get in the corridor and seal it before they come close. Better not to take chances if we can avoid them."
     They hurried down the stairs, then around a few more corridors. No one appeared to be behind them, anymore, and they were almost there. Unfortunately, at that moment, a door in one of the corridors behind them opened.
     "Hurry!" Seth hissed, but it went without saying. The three of them hurtled forward faster than they thought they were capable of running, the man in the white coat on their heels.

*******

     Raeza heard the running footsteps and she let her finger hover over the red button. Avalyn, Seth and J.A. rushed towards her, past the point where the wall and ceiling would collapse. Raeza pressed the button, but nothing happened. She gasped, looking down at her screen, and saw a pop up asking for the administrator password. It took her a moment to remember it, it felt like so long since she'd had her computers, and in that moment, the man in white also reached the point where he would be sealed in with them.
     More footsteps from the other direction, and Raeza typed faster: j0-Sf3yT_1gHLk-7.qBi6Jh_R.a3 RETURN. She waited. It was loading, and claimed to have three minutes remaining. She didn't have three minutes, though, so she hoped that wasn't the case.
     The army rounded the corner, into view, and Raeza closed her eyes. There was a slight cracking noise, then thuds and crumbling as the ceiling fell and part of the wall caved in, sealing off the tunnel. Raeza sighed in relief, then gasped slightly. Her shirt felt wet suddenly, as if she'd been pranked by an Elemental, but it was sweat, presumably. And then she heard Avalyn scream behind her, and a man's grunt, and she opened her eyes, realizing that her shirt wasn't wet with sweat but blood.


*******

     J.A. slit the man's throat in one swift and deadly motion, but she was too slow. Raeza opened her eyes and stared dumbfoundedly at the sword that had pierced through her torso. Even if it had missed everything vital, she'd still probably die from the blood loss. There was no way to take her to a healer, and even if they could get out it would be too late. J.A. had long since made a decision, though, and now she spoke up. "You'll be alright, Raeza." She
     "No, J.A." Raeza smiled mirthlessly. "I know a death wound when I see one. You were right though," she whispered, gasping slightly as J.A. slowly pulled out the bloodstained blade. "I am human. And sometimes humans make stupid mistakes. And sometimes we die."
     "Raeza--" J.A. found herself choking up. She hadn't cried since who knows when, but she had a feeling she was about to start. "I can take your place, if you just let me draw the symbols."
     "No, J.A." Raeza smiled sadly, then grimaced in pain. "You can't."
     J.A. nodded grimly and took off her jacket, using it to stop the blood the best she could. "Aevil won't let you die."
     "Of course she won't. I'll be fine." Raeza's agreement seemed two enthusiastic to be true. She sighed at J.A.'s raised eyebrow. "She let both of my sisters die, there's no reason for her to do more for me, and I'm not certain..." She trailed off, but the rest of the sentence would definitely have been doubt that Aevil could hold her own against Mevolent in his own castle.
     J.A. looked at her friend, tilting her head slightly, then took a deep breath, reaching for her pen.
     "I can't let you do that, Jule." Seth pinned her arms back, and she struggled unsuccessfully.
     "But the prophecy..."
     "I bought you all some time, maybe that counted as a tide. Or maybe the words that ruined my life simply aren't true." Raeza paused. "I never wanted it, anyway."
     "Let me go," J.A. whispered. She'd intended to shout it, but it hadn't come out that way. Seth didn't respond, and she was about to elbow him very very hard when Raeza whispered again.
     "J.A.?" 
     "What is it?"
     "What are the initials short for? I've been wondering..."
     "Julianne." That came out in a whisper, too, and J.A. wondered if she was capable of speaking any louder. Probably not.
     "Beautiful name." Raeza smiled weakly.
     "Yeah, it is. It never really suited me, though."
     "It..." The rest of the sentence was lost. Raeza's eyes fluttered for a moment, then she opened them again. "How...?" She blinked slowly, then her tone turned from confusion to disgust. "Mother. I'm done being your pawn. You want a tide, you're going to have to turn it yourself." She exhaled loudly, her eyes fluttering again. "I finally did it, I... Don't let her do anything stupid."
     Raeza reached upwards, then her hand went limp, and for a moment, J.A. was frozen, tears she didn't know she had pouring down her cheeks. Seth was still holding her back, as if she'd try to take Raeza's place in death somehow. Her magic wouldn't stretch that far, and she wasn't sure she'd even be able to grip the pen.
     After several minutes of agonizing silence and stillness, Avalyn leaned over and closed Raeza's eyes. Raeza looked so much more frail now, not like the strong brave friend who'd led the plan for breaking them out of the jail. Maybe it was better, though, to pretend this was someone else. J.A. had known death before, sure, and it hadn't gotten to her like this. Not even when she'd thought Seth was dead. Just pretend that the body lying in front of her was a stranger. 
     J.A. finally shook off Seth's grip and whirled to face him. "Who do you think you are? Did you even try to do a thing for her?"
     "I couldn't--"
     "You could have saved her! You could have let me save her! You could have at least tried to slow the bleeding!"
     "J.A., I couldn't."
     "And don't try to tell me your powers aren't working, I saw you experiment in Aevil's castle, with the beetle."
     "She was ready to die, couldn't you see it on her face?"
     "Maybe the beetle was ready to die, too. Maybe I am!"
     "J.A., you're hysterical. That's understandable in these circumstances, but--"
     "If it had been me lying there,  covered in blood, would you have stood there like that? If it had been Avalyn?"
     Avalyn was off to the left, scooting backwards. Good for her, she could run away all she liked. That wouldn't help her in the end. 
     "Of course not, Jule! I... I..."
     "Seth, we both changed while you were gone. I'm not as strong as I once was, I'm not as friendly. But you... When did you become the kind of person who would sit there and watch someone die?"
     "J.A., I..."
     "When the time comes, and we unseal this corridor, you won't be coming with us."
     "So you're not mad at Avalyn?" 
     "She can't heal people with a glance. You can."
     "What do you want me to do? I can't raise the dead!
     J.A. shook her head sadly and turned to go as far away from him as she could with their limited space. Avalyn came behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She, too, was crying. Then she frowned slightly.
     "Did you feel that?"
     "What?" 
     "A change in the energy. Like...I don't know, even. I don't usually sense things like this."
     J.A. frowned, concentrating for a moment. "I don't feel anything."
     "There's nothing now, it was like a bubble of power, making everything start to tingle, and then it popped or simethig, and everything stopped."
     J.A. swallowed. So much for the last hope she'd had of getting her friend back. "I think it was the duel, then," she said. "I think Aevil just lost."
     Avalyn nodded grimly.

((So this is it. The chapter I've been anticipating in excitement and dread. I'll probably regret this later.))

Monday, July 29, 2013

Molliana Dust - Why Must I Think Of Witty Chapter Names?

"Mevolent has Mara," Mollie hissed, "and I'm going to kill him."

Mollie was angry. Nobody hurt her friends. Especially ones as close to her as Maralie. The problem was, Mollie had no clue that Maralie was save and sound with Harry back at her house. Liberty was sent on a plane back to Cheshire, where she was being babysat by Harry's mum until Mollie came back. If Mollie came back.

Mollie had heard of where Mevolent's hideout was, so that's where she was headed on her motorbike. She felt safe on her bike, it was like part of her now. She couldn't live without it.
She revved the bike, gritting her teeth. She was going. To kill him.

~

Or, that had been the plan.

She was now dangling above a pit of acid, her hands tied above her. She said been caught by some guards who were not very nice. They had given her up to Mevo, who said she should be killed. After all, Molliana Dust was a rebel. An idiotic rebel, but a rebel nonetheless. And she had been wanted in a few countries. No biggie. Murder and stuff. But that was just self defence. She didn't kill purposely, she'd say.

Well, that was a lie.

Mollie killed because she had to. If anyone looked at Liberty, they'd have no eyes to look at anythinanymore. Literally. She had gouged someone's eyes out before.

Mollie looked down at the bubbling pit of acid below her and started to think. Ashton kept coming into her mind. She sighed and looked up at the rope that secured her to the ceiling. Any wrong movements, and a button would be pressed, and Molliana Dust would be no more. Not for the first time, Mollie wondered what death was like. Probably hurt. And then she wondered; would she go to hell for killing?

Mollie wasn't a very religious person, but she had her beliefs. And she wasn't quite sure, at this given moment, if she believed in heaven and hell. Or more like, did she want to?
She sighed again. This idle thinking wasn't going to get her out of this mess. Plus she was starting to get rope burns on her wrist. Mollie glanced at the guard over at the Big Button, she liked to call it. If that Big Button was pressed... Bye bye Mollie.

The guard was facing away, talking to another guard. Guard #1, the Big Button one, wasn't paying any attention to Mollie. Guard #2 seemed to be taking quick glances up at her, almost seeming scared she'd escape.
That almost made Mollie laugh. Hah! One of Mevo's guards was scared of her. LOL, she thought to herself.
Mollie looked up at the rope. Her wrists were really sore by now. But at least she wasn't dead. Yet.

She looked around. If she cut the rope, she'd fall straight into the acid. But... she looked up at the ceiling. Aha! The rope was tied to a beam that ran across the whole ceiling. If she untied herself, and climbed up there...
But how? The question remained. It wasn't like she could cut through it. Her eyes widened and she would have facepalmed, only for her hands were tied up.

She would have to bite through it.

Mollie looked at the guards were. She frowned. Where were they? They couldn't have left...?!
She glanced at the Big Button warily - it could be a trap. But if it was, wouldn't someone be hiding close to the Big Button, or something? And she could definitely not see anyone.

Mollie started to chew.

It was exhausting work. She would have to lift her whole body up, chew for five seconds, then fall back down and dangle for a while, getting her energy back. It took a while, and she was sure her teeth were going to break apart into little pieces any second now, but she finally did it. The rope fell apart and, letting out a small yelp, Mollie grabbed the beam and watched the rope fall into the acid and burn.

Huh, Mollie thought. That could've been me.

Mollie looked and saw a sort of contraption that had a scissors and probably connected to the Big Button, right beside where the rope was.

"Ah," Mollie whispered, grinning. "Ya didn't get me this time, Mevo."

She started to crawl across the beam. It was quite thick, so it was easy for her to crawl on. She heard footsteps and froze, then listened.

"She's gone!" a gruff voice boomed. "I thought you were watching her?!"

"I-I'm sorry," a thin, reedy voice replied. "I just... w-went for a b-b-athroom break..."

"Marcel, dude, I know you're new, but come on!"

"I-I'm not m-meant to be a b-bodyguard," Marcel stammered, "I w-work in m-marketing..."

"I get that, mate, but if Mevo knows we lost her..." the gruff guy winced, and Mollie didn't think his personality was the same as his exterior.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Jacob, I-" Marcel was cut off by the gruff guy - Jacob - yelling. "Up there!"

And then he took a bloody machine gun out of his jacket.

Mollie took it back. Jacob was mean.

Jacob pointed the huge thing at her and started to shoot. Mollie stood up and started to sprint. She almost fell off a few times and still Jacob kept shooting, shooting, shooting at her and Mollie was losing her balance and her foot suddenly slipped and she fell down, down, down onto the cold hard ground with a smack.

Jacob and Marcel stood over her, Marcel trembling. Mollie's vision started to go black around the edges.

"Sayonara, Miss Dust," Jacob winked, and aimed the gun at her and the gun, the huge gun bucked in his hand and Mollie felt an impact in her chest, but no pain. She had a feeling the fall paralyzed her. Paralyzed. Maralie. Maralie and her light. Light. Li. Liberty. Her sister. Liberty...

And Molliana Dust was gone.


THIS WAS THE BEST THING EVER TO WRITE OMG
I cannot wait to end my plot, oh my Golden God c:
~ Mara xx
PS: Marcel;)

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Aevil: The Duel Thing

      The entrance she decided on was underappreciated: a sudden flash of light and then she, Raeza, J.A., Seth and Avalyn we're standing in Mevolent's throne room. He didn't even blink. So much for dramatics, then.
     "Aevil. How are you on this fine morning?"
     "As well as can be expected. Do you want to die now or do this the old-fashioned way?" She raised an eyebrow.
     "Patience, my dear. What makes you think I'll agree to your idea of a fair fight?" Mevolent stood and gestured around him. Several doors stood open, and there were several hundred guards. How lovely. "We will still have our duel, one on one, and I will crush you. But your entourage will not be so lucky."
     J.A., Raeza, Seth and Avalyn each drew their knives, but there was honestly no way they could defend themselves from that many. Time for plan B. "Hold hands," Aevil commanded sharply, anRaeza obeyed without hesitation. It would benefit her to do that more often. A wave of her hand and they were gone. "So what was that you said about a one in one duel?"
     Mevolent smiled, as if he knew something she didn't.

     What Mevolent knew was that there was a shield. He'd set it up, made sure it would trigger at the same time as the guards. There was no teleporting out for Aevil now, and if she tried, she'd just end up in another part of the castle, with the rest of her party.
     
     The corridor they ended up in was empty for now, but J.A. doubted it would stay that way. Seth and Avalyn both looked at her with worried glances, Raeza looked at the ceiling.
     "What is it?" Avalyn asked hesitantly after a moment of silence. 
     "There's some sort of shield. No one can come or go, even magically." Raeza lowered her gaze to look at the others, and J.A. could see her gaze harden slightly. "I have an idea, come on."
     "Where are we going?" Seth demanded. "They'll be here any minute!"
     "Exactly, they'll be here but we won't. Part of the ceiling in a corridor in this wing is rigged so that it will collapse, sealing off the small section of hallway. The computer it was once connected to..." Raeza paused for a moment, then swallowed. "The computer is gone now, but I should be able to restart the mechanism. I just need to--" She pulled up short as she saw the row of Redhoods blocking their way. "Well, this complicates things."

     Aevil's pottery wheel spun faster as she created monster after monster from her base of infinite clay. They charged at Mevolent, but he only clicked his fingers and the water in the air made them turn to mush.
     "You're going to have to do better than that," he said, pushing at the air and sending her flying into the wall. A bit of fire reduced her pottery wheel to ashes and cracked bits of clay.
     As he strode towards her, a ball of fire in his hand, she snapped her fingers and his foot stuck in the wet sludge, tentacles of clay wrapping around it, holding it fast. He threw the fireball, and she hurled herself to the left, the ends of her hair catching fire and burning. Ah, that was dramatic. Aevil enjoyed being dramatic, but not at the price of her style. Besides, the flame would catch her skin eventually, even if her jacket was fire-resistant. She did a somersault, extinguishing the flame.
     Mevolent hurled more air at her, pinning her against the wall, and she switched to her other discipline. So much for the clay. Mevolent's foot became unstuck, and he advanced a bit, eyes locked on hers. The arc of energy she sent would have been enough to fry something. Something that was generally not meant to fry easily, something Aevil didn't really have the time or patience to come up with exactly. However, that something was definitely not Mevolent. He only took a step to his left, and the energy tore a hole in the wall instead. His focus on the air didn't lessen.

     Avalyn nodded. "Of course I know where I'm going!" If they hadn't been running, she might have stopped and given Seth an annoyed glare of some sort. As such, she barely had time to hope the others had a bit more faith in her than Seth did. Sure she'd never been here, but she'd studied the map over and over, and she hadn't forgotten.
     Their goal now was to come from the other side and hope they didn't get cornered or caught between multiple manifestations of Mevolent's force. Avalyn wasn't sure this would work considering the number of guards that ought to be stationed around a place like this, but so far they'd been pretty successful. Maybe all the guards had been summoned to make an appearance in front of Aevil. Even if that was the case, though, they'd still be here soon. And of course, there were the twenty or so Redhoods behind them. Rather hard to miss.
     "How far is it?" Raeza asked, "If my calculations are right..."
     "Just around that corner," Avalyn whispered, the a hallway to the right. But the rest of us will keep running and loop around to the end we were aiming for before, hopefully buying you some time to set up the mechanism."
     "Right. Make sure you get past the door marked 'solarium.' Then you'll be within the sealed off area."
     "Sounds good," J.A. said, and they split up, Raeza slipping into the shadows, then the side corridor, the other three vanishing down the hall, Redhoods behind them.
   

     ((Sorry if the teleportation shield inconveniences anyone. I'll be taking it down as soon as possible. Aevil and Mevolent fighting is funnnnnn, but I still haven't gotten to the awesome part where someone dies.))

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Charlse Fiable: Once could see but now am blind

Charles sat cross-legged in the room Rabe had allocated him. Down the hall, he could hear the baby crying and the German siblings arguing. Downstairs, the television was blaring out at full volume. He could hear rats as well. He was waiting for Rabe's phone to ring, for her to say Jasmin wanted to talk to him. He was terrified. This was his last remaining friend. When he thought back to the whole bests thing, he realised there were groups. Moyen, Trac and Benjamin, Jasmin and Jalousie, Rasoir and Rene, Hiver, Poupee and Enrageant, and then Charles had always found his closest friend to be Pierre. He hadn't known Pierre had died until a month after, when he'd woken up in a hospital bed and found he was now visually impaired. He really hated his diminishing eyesight now. His good eye seemed to be getting worse as well. At this rate he would be completely blind by the end of the year. Also his eyes were itchy and beginning to water quite badly. This made him effectively blind and he cursed, trying to wipe his eyes dry. He wondered if they had cats in this house. He hated cats. He had a fur allergy. He heard a meow and realised there was a cat on the bed with him. With a curse, he swiped out at it and then he heard the door open.
"Are you crying?" Asked Scarlett with a slight laugh, coming forward to take the cat away.
"Keep the cat out of my room, I'm allergic."
"Oh, sorry...the Spanish guy you came with...he's nicked some of my clothes..."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well...he was wearing them when he came out of the shower...and I asked if they were mine and he said 'I'll give them back, but my own are filthy'."
Charles sniffed the shirt he was wearing and pulled a face. "So are mine..."
Scarlett frowned. "Maybe all the liberated prisoners should borrow my clothes...they're a bit big for the Spaniard and they'd be very big on you...and covered in cat hair since Fuzzball here is mine, but hey, it'd be something clean."
Charles thought about it. "I'm good like this. Unless you wash the cat hair off first."
"Yeah, no problem...are you okay?"
"I have a few...troubled thoughts..."
Scarlett stayed quiet, and after a few seconds moved away, taking Fuzzball with him. Charles sighed and waited for his vision to improve a bit, but it didn't. Once the watery eyes had stopped watering, he was still just as blind. He swore viciously and got up, kicking at something. Some detective he would make if he went blind.

Jasmin grunted as he was thrown into a familiar room with sawdust on the floor and hay piled in the corner. He was in jeans and a T-shirt and while it was boiling outside, it was freezing in this room. He hugged himself and huddled over, sitting against the hay bale and thinking about his next move. He couldn't think of anything and began to cry, much to his chagrin. He hoped there weren't any security cameras or anything, because the last thing he wanted was to make himself, or France, look weak in front of Mevolent's men. There was a small scuffling sound from inside the hay and he pulled himself away with a yelp. A face peaked out at him from the hay. Two faces. Three. The first was all burnt and damaged, the second was an incredibly familiar face.
"Elizabess." He mumbled. The Australian elder frowned as he failed to pronounce his name again. The third person was a woman who looked absolutely terrified. "What are you three doing?" Jasmin asked curiously.
Elizabeth Slyther disappeared inside the hay pile again and the woman sighed. "Hiding. It won't do much, but it's a comfort tool for the kids here."
Jasmin frowned. "Kids?"
"Abe and I have a couple of boys...I don't think he trusts Grand Mage Cherry with Australia, he's really stressed."
"You're one of the French Elders..." The burnt man stated quietly.
"Are you an Elder?"
"Norwegian Grand Mage. Axel Stridsoks."
"French Grand Mage, Jasmin Orage." Frowning, he stood and went to the wall, right where the door was, and started examining the walls fully. Axel frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"I used to be one of France's best detectives. If there's a way out of here, I can find it and I can make a plan."
The woman, whose name was Circe, arched an eyebrow and smiled. "You do that, then."

Santa and Elder Haos looked on as the Grand Mage broke down the basement door and stepped into a room loaded with all sorts of weapons and communicative technology. "Wow." Haos muttered.
Mihai smirked. "Welcome to Polina Skromneyy's arsenal. We have weapons, we have contact to any frequency we can hack, and we have friends across the globe to help us, and to whom we can distribute these weapons should the need arise. Lady and gentleman, we are going to war."

"And how do you plan to get inside Mevolent's Castle?" Ursa asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Mortis gave a lazy shrug in response. "You can't just stroll on into that company. You need a plan."
"We need Miss Maleficent and her friend, Mr Twist." Jayden responded in a quiet, subdued tone.
"They have strong ties to the inside." Mortis agreed. "Miss Maleficent supports the cause of the Faceless Ones, but Mr Twist is on our side no doubt. Plus, have you ever heard of a man from Germany by the name of Drakon Geistesblitz?" Both men returned blank looks. "Connections to Hiro Phantasmagoria, Richard Sloth and Franz Ransom. Used to know two men named Carmichael Hauter and Benedict Electrolytic, who were very high up in Mevolent's ranks. Drakon is employed as a Sense Warden there and he knows a lot. He was originally working as a spy for the German Sanctuary, but made a point of destroying all files of him there and making fakes so he wouldn't get in trouble when Mevolent took over. He's been anonymously supplying German-speaking countries' Sanctuaries with information. If we can make contact with him, we have our way in, and Ursa, Jayden, you said something about knowing a German man named Absurdity?"
Ursa nodded, but Jayden was still drawing a blank.
"That man has links to Hiro and Richard, or so you told me, Ursa, and I believe to Drakon as well. We talk to any of those three, and we've got something...talking to Hiro and Richard does involve returning to the Sanctuary, though, which I don't want to do."

Awesome's friends were round. Box was hiding in his room and the vampire himself looked very anxious and uncomfortable. Austin frowned, suspicious. His eyes took in all his friends present and he listed off all the ones he would never see again in his head. Had anyone told Aleron that Lilia was dead? He would probably take it pretty hard. The Necromancer's face was impassive, so Austin couldn't tell if he knew or not. Awesome finally stood, refusing to meet the eyes of the girls but quite happy to meet those of the boys. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming and not complaining about the short notice or the fact I should, by all rights, be either dead or in prison right now, thanks to Lilia and Cadence, not that I'm complaining as both were very lovely girls...Cadence is still alive though."
Aleron gave a shocked and dismayed squeak and Austin pulled a face. That had been so tactful.
"Anyway, I have something to run by each of you, but for each of you it's different, and since you're now upset, I'll take you away first, Al. Each of your parts in this mission is to remain a secret at all costs." He left them with that warning and led the Necromancer away.

There was a man in the medical bay, standing over the small form of baby Antonia-Lily. If she was taken now, it would be a while before anyone realised she was gone. Oh, what leverage this would be.

In the afterlife, Garnet cursed, somewhat aware the infant had been taken. God, he hated the idea of little ones being in trouble. Plus he had no clue how to get into contact with Mildred from here. He had asked around, but nobody knew how, until he found two men talking and strolled up to them, smiling. One was tall, pale and incredibly skinny, the other was shorter, fatter and paler. "Excuse me-"
The taller one waved a skeletal hand. "Don't bother me." He stated calmly in a Scottish accent. "I'm busy belittling."
"I want to know how to contact a Mildred Firestone. She can hear the dead."
Both men suddenly turned a cold glare on him. He felt a little uncomfortable.
"And why would you need a clairaudient, child?"
"I'm over a hundred years old, I'm hardly a child."
"I asked you a question."
"I have information to help the cause against Mevolent and save countless lives, including those on the Irish council." This got a third man interested, and Garnet began to squirm under all the attention.
"Mildred might not help you." The shorter man spat, "Mildred has a history of only helping herself, only caring for things that benefit her."
"This will benefit her though! How well do you two know her?"
"Not very." The tall man admitted. "Well enough to have her killed if I so wished. I have merely used her to contact an ex student of mine."
Garnet smirked. "Ursa Borealis?"
"Clever."
"You thought you recognised me when you saw me, but my accent threw you. I spend a lot of time observing people, I pick things up quickly." He turned to the shorter man. "You know Millie?"
"All too well."
Garnet frowned. "Are you related to her? You have, like, way too many similarities..."
"We're nothing alike!"
"Brother?"
"Father!"
Garnet smirked and turned to the third man. "And you used to serve on the Irish council. Do you know about Mildred Firestone?"
"Never heard of her."
"Right." He turned back to the tall man and smiled. "I need to talk to her."
The man thought for a couple of seconds. "I can help you."

((Aaaaaand my ability to access the collab will become sporadic as I'm going on this thing called The Challenge, where there's this guy I like. It's residential for the first two weeks, so I won't have my computer and I'll be doing all this sporty stuff and possibly camping, which I hate. Also have some Garnet and Fred and other dead people in the afterlife and stuff. FRED, I MISSED YOU, I'M SORRY I KILLED YOU! Also Circe, who was never supposed to be in this collab, uh, ever, but I didn't want Jasmin to be alone and had already said there were three others before I'd given the slightest thought to who those three might be...))

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Aevil: My Last Daughter Who Isn't Dead or a Tuberous Crop

      The room was made entirely of white marble, sparkling even in the dim light. Aevil sat in a chair in the center, simple enough in design with no elaborate carvings or anything, but elevated enough that it was clearly a throne. She nodded as Raeza walked in, followed by her friends, who were introduced as Avalyn, Seth and J.A.
     "Are you keeping your part of the deal?" Raeza asked, eyes hard, a challenge.
     Aevil met her daughter's gaze firmly. "Of course I am. Are you keeping yours?"
     "A deal is a deal." Raeza's eyes went to the floor, and her companions watched her warily.
     "Raeza..." the one called Avalyn began, but the woman known as J.A. put a hand on her shoulder and she fell silent.
     Aevil looked the scarred woman up and down. "That would be her, would it not?"
     "Yes." Raeza kept her eyes down. So she hadn't told the rest of them, lovely. Aevil smiled slightly.
     J.A. stepped forward, a hard expression on her face as if she thought she was some sort of sacrifice, but wasn't going to fight it. Poor girl, Aevil almost felt sorry for her.
     "What did you do?" The man, Seth, turned on Raeza and gripped her by the collar of her jacket. Her reflexes should be better than that, Aecil thought, after all the training I gave her.
     To her credit, Raeza wasn't the least bit flustered. "It's going to save her," she said softly and Seth relaxed just a little, though he still looked ready to kill someone. J.A., on the other hand, looked almost...hurt? Aevil wasn't especially good with emotions.
     "Raeza..." the scarred woman trailed off, her forehead wrinkling. "You didn't...what did you agree to do for this?"
     Raeza looked at her mother, and Aevil shrugged. "Nothing she wouldn't have done anyway."
     J.A. took a deep breath and looked straight at Raeza. "What did you do?"
     "She accepted her--"
     "I don't want to hear it from you!" Aevil actually shut up. Not many could make her do that.
     "There's this prophecy that I'm supposed to turn a tide. Well, it was a daughter of Aevil who's supposed to do it, but my sisters are dead. Aevil thinks it means I'll join with her in fighting Mevolent, and there's actually a chance she could harm him--"
     "We could harm him, Raeza. The two of us together could--"
     "All I have to offer is the prophecy, Mother. You're the several-hundred year old super-powerful energy-dealing mage, you're the one who would actually stand a chance against him. I wouldn't, and we both know that's a face." Raeza took a deep breath. "However, if believing in the so-called prophecy is enough to actually make you take action, then so be it." She turned to J.A. "And you will let her make you a new body like she did for me."
     J.A. spole softly. "You made a sacrifice, Raeza, and I'll honor that, but please..." So she could tell that Raeza hadn't been on especially good terms with, and still didn't particularly like her mother. That probably meant she, too, would be distrustful of Aevil. The other two would, as well, most likely. How lovely.
     Aevil got out her clay and had just finished sculpting the basic outline of J.A.'s new body, when the door swung open.
     "Ah, hello Serpine. You're a bit early. I wasn't planning on attacking you all until tomorrow morning."
     "Your daughter and a few others broke out of the holding cells easier than they should have. I knew you had to be involved."
     "Yes, and about that? My daughter is highly dangerous and important and should be kept in a proper jail, not simply holding cells." She said the last two words as if they were poisonous.
     "I'll keep that in mind, and I'll make sure it's a bit more of a challenge for you to interfere next time." Aevil wasn't sure if Serpine was mocking her. Most likely. "However, I came here to warn you."
     "To warn or to threaten?"
     "Both, I suppose. Mevolent is stronger than he once was."
     "So you say."
     "Where is your daughter, anyway?"
     "She knows better than to stay up past bedtime."
     "Ah, of course."
     "So are you done yet?" Aevil yawned slightly and went back to carving J.A. an eyebrow.
     "Apparently so. Aevil, I tried to do you a favor. We were friends once."
     "Once, as in not anymore."
     "Yes, but for old times' sake, I thought I would try. Mevolent is no ordinary sorcerer. He hasn't been idle while dead, and he has many loyal followers. You are not on his level."
     "You do know saying that just makes me want to fight him more, right?"
     "I had hoped it would be otherwise, but..."
     "You hoped no such thing. Goodye now."
     Serpine nodded. "Alright then." He turned and walked away, and Aevil thought about possible real reasons he'd come. She had a funny feeling she was walking into a trap. She ignored it.

((The duel between Aevil and Mevolent will be fun. :D Also, this chapter is sort of a filler between lots of plot twists! Yay for plot twists! And pretzel twists! And hair twists!))

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Zafira Kerias: Freedom's Price (Part 3)


Zafira stood holding Jayla in the backyard. This was the first time she was home since Javier's arrest. Javier himself was feeding Jason. Alexis was inside playing. Zafira felt happiness holding the tiny baby. Jayla fell asleep and Zafira quietly took her to her room and let the baby sleep in her crib. Javier came up with Jason and the twins slept. Once both were in cribs Javier took Zafira downstairs kissing her as she made it into the living room. 
"Zaf we need you to be prepared." He reminded her. 
"Yeah I know ok? It's not Niccoló we're facing." She retorted. 

The man watched the home from his hiding spot. They had children the couple. He was surprised a Grand Mage could have kids. Then again Zafira wasn't much like any other Grand Mage. The man crept into the bushes and used the air to open the window. Zafira lept from the couch and the man slammed her into a wall. She struggled to get free. Then to his surprise she moved the air away from herself. She leapt at him again and swept his legs out and sent him to the floor. She held him down and held her knife to him,
"Hello m'dear. You're under arrest for a lot of things." She said with an insane smile on her lips. Javier looked in shock,
"Uncle you wouldn't dare...." He growled. The man beneath Zafira hit her hard and sent her off him. He smiled and took her and held her by the throat. 
"I warned you I would kill her. And it isn't going to be pretty for her. " He said as Zafira struggled to get away. The man simply cut her palm. The cut itself wasn't very deep but it sent Zafira to the floor writhing and screaming. Javier's eyes widened as she was turning pale. He went to her and tried to get her to see him.
"Zaf hush I got you..." He murmured. Zafira opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Javier glared at his uncle. He knew she'd die no matter what. He took out a knife and went straight after his uncle. The man merely smiled and tapped a symbol sending Javier flying. Javier got back up and leapt pinning the man to the wall. He took the knife and stabbed. He basically replicated Judge Turpin's death. Javier left the man for dead, the first man Javier had actually killed without his magic. He knelt beside Zafira who was barely breathing. 
"Zaf speak. Please I promise everything will be okay." He murmured. She smiled weakly and her eyes opened once and closed. Suddenly Zafira's skin turned to it's normal color. Her eyes opened bright and she grinned,
"Miss me?" Justaria asked.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Zafira Kerias: Freedom's Price (Part 2)

Zafira lay awake. The process had been sped up successfully. She'd see her twins soon enough. The twins were a girl and a boy. Alexis was asleep in Zaf's office. She could tell it would be an hour or so before she'd be in labor. 

Within a few hours Zafira held her twins. Alexis sat proudly next to her mother. Javier stood close. 
"Shall we name them?" He asked. He looked at the boy wrapped in a blue blanket.
"Jason?" He asked. 
"Yes!" Zafira agreed, "And the girl can be Jayla?" Javier nodded.
"My siblings!!!" Alexis screeched skipped around. The family just stayed there. 

Zafira came home on the 13th. The twins slept in their own room. Alexis was so excited. Things were looking good. 

Javier sighed and got up. He had to do this. He knew he had to. He took Zafira out to the fountain. He held her close to himself. He could feel Zafira shaking slightly.
"Hush my love." He murmured. He closed his eyes and focused on Zafira. He intensified it hoping it'd be quick for her.

Zafira found herself in her living room. Niccoló was there and he was torturing her. Zafira's screams echoed all around. She wanted to end this....to end it all. She took her knife and stabbed herself.

Javier kneeled beside Zafira and held her close. He pulled back and he watched her eyes focus on him.
"Javier...why?" She asked. Javier kissed her cheek.
"I had to Zaf. I had to." He said. He watched her as her movements grew weaker. Javier felt bad as he watched her dying. Suddenly a few mages came forward and pulled Javier off Zafira. It was some of her friends. One of them picked her up,
"Grand Mage can you speak?" He asked. She shook her head. The other two had Javier struggling between them. They took both of them to the Sanctuary. A few doctors came over and healed her. Zafira didn't move more or less in shock. 

Javier struggled until someone locked him in a holding cell. He sat on the small bed furious with himself. He got caught and Zafira would live. He loved her and he couldn't let his uncle kill her as it'd be slow and painful. He couldn't. He waited for whatever lay ahead.

Zafira got up and was released to go deal with Javier. She walked down to the holding cells now with two Cleavers guarding her. She went to Javier's and unlocked it. He stepped out and she handcuffed him. She led him to the interview room and he sat. One of her detectives sat opposite of Javier. Zafira stood behind her detective. She didn't look happy but she stayed there. Finally, Jade, the  detective spoke.
"Javier why did you try to kill the Grand Mage, your own wife?" Javier looked down trying to not look at his own wife,
"Because I was forced to." He replied. Jade nodded,
"You realize if Grand Mage Kerias decides you can be in Gaol for attempted murder of the Grand Mage?" She asked. Javier nodded and Jade continued,
"Who forced you to Javier?" 
"My uncle. He gave me a decade to do it and I planned to but.....I fell for her! We have beautiful children together but a few days before the twins were born my uncle called me and threatened to kill us both and if I allowed him to kill her it'd have been a slow and painful death I didn't want that for her!" Javier looked distressed and was almost ready to cry, Jade wrote this down,
"Javier your wife is Grand Mage! You could have reported him to her and she has the resources to stop it!" Jade exclaimed. Javier's reply was quiet,
"I know. I don't know what possessed me to not do that." Zafira broke in,
"Javier for god's sake why didn't you TELL me?!" Zafira's voice cracked and she didn't speak. Jade spoke again,
"Okay Javier where is your uncle?"
"New Jersey." He said. "In Wildwood." Jade nodded.
"Grand Mage you ought to go. I'll give you the paperwork. He's under arrest so it's up to you if he's to be released or not..." Zafira got up and left with her two Cleavers. She went to her office and worked on her paperwork from other cases. Jade came back an hour later and gave her the paperwork for Javier. Jade looked a bit uneasy,
"Grand Mage, I suggest maybe you go get Alexis, Jayla and Jason keep them here." Jade bowed and left. Zafira shadow-walked home and got the kids and let them in her office. She went back to Javier's file. If she condemned him he'd be in prison for at the very least 200yrs. If she let him go he'd be with her. Finally she just released him. She went down to the holding cells and released Javier. He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed. 

The sun was hot in Wildwood. The man watched shaking his head. His nephew had failed to kill Grand Mage Kerias. He got in the car and drove. Kerias would die no matter what. And he planned to do it. Painfully.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Zafira Kerias: Freedom's Price (Part 1)


Zafira held the knife close. Javier had gone out to get food and she needed to stay calm. With the nightmares consuming her sleep she had no choice but to deal with it. Niccoló had done this and so God help him if he ever goes near her. Alexis played. Zafira stayed in the living room. Javier finally came home and smiled,
"Hello Zaf." He said and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and he took her hand. 
"My love." He murmured sweetly. He put his hand on her stomach,
"Does Alexis know?" She shook her head. They had to wait until the next Friday before they could speed the process. 
"I'll get her." He said and let go of Zafira. He went and picked Alexis up.
"Come here little one." He said as she started to freak. He places her beside Zafira. Alexis gazed up at her mother,
"What's going on?" She asked. Zafira sniled,
"We decided we would get you a present....sort of. You're going to be a big sister." She told Alexis. Alexis widened her eyes and hugged her mother tightly. 
"Yay yay yay yay!!!!" She screamed dancing around. It brought laughter to her parents. 
"Oh Alexis..." Javier smiled. Alexis was so excited she woke Coco up. Coco started barking. Alexis threw her tennis ball and Coco chased it happily. 

After the chaos Zafira was awake beside Javier. He smiled as he held her. 
"So when do you find out the gender?"
"Tomorrow. I'll be at the Sanctuary for a while but I need to be. I had Alexis and was home for weeks. I can't be out long. I knew it was a bad time to have another!" She looked distressed. Javier kissed her neck,
"Hush. You'll be fine. If we waited until Mevolent was defeated who knows if we'd have been alive?" He soothed. Zafira began to relax as Javier fell asleep. She did as well.  

Alexis was at a friend's house playing and Javier decided to play Call of Duty. It was quiet and nobody was home. Coco slept on the floor and Zafira had gone to the Sanctuary. Suddenly Javier's phone rang. He glanced at the caller I.D and his heart skipped a few beats. Numbly he answered,
"Javier Fyreheart speaking." The voice answering made his face pale,
"Javier we had a deal. What have you done?! I wanted it done." Javier kept his voice even,
"I told you I would when I could ok? I will do it. Not yet. I'm fine with killing but I do not kill pregnant women." He snapped. The voice sounded angered,
"You have until the 15th...if you don't do it I will do it and kill YOU with her. Got it?!" 
"Yes, Uncle." Javier replied and the phone went dead. He scrolled to calander. It was the 5th. Zaf was due the 12th. He couldnt but he had to. 

(Warning i may not post another for a while im in a bookstore with wifi so)